Bolero - Rumba

by Benigño Torres, Pearl City:

In my opinion the most beautiful music in existence today. These different dances have the same music more or less except for the speed and the arrangement.

"Social dancers know that dance is the art of touch, kin-esthetics. It can show us how
the body can become the instrument to engage and move to our favorite music."

The Bolero in the US is more European even though made in the US. For many it can sound like Latinized Fox Trots which nowadays they are. Most Latin boleros are in the 95 -105 beats per minute speed and the dance is very suave, slow going, tantalizing with an occasional full stop for a full count accent once or twice in the dance. Most Latin songs are in the bolero genre. A faster bolero is a very good Rumba.

"La Bamba" by Richie Valens

Obama - Palin Cha Cha Cha

The American bolero, was invented by American dance teachers, and is danced very differently than the Rumba. The only thing keeping it up in the US is that it is included in the syllabus of the dances of the American Style of Dance. It will become obsolete in this century in our "Social" dancing along with Paso Doble, Quick Step and Viennese Waltz. They are being replaced with Latin American dances of which many may be questioned as to the origin. The Lambada was never a Latin dance. The Bolero - Rumba music is now called Latin Pop, somewhat romantic and much of the music is used for listening only. Good dinner music in Latin America.

"Don't Let This Moment End" by Gloria Estefan

The Mambo was much faster and came from the old Rumba, 110 to 120 beats per minute, the clave beat is more intense and the physical action in dancing is more evident. The original "Bamba,"  (Bolero) sounds like you are going to a wake in comparison to the Richie Valens version in full jazzed up Mambo beat. Mambo was the most fun dance in the Americas for over 40 years even with the split of the break on 1 or on 2. It has been supplanted with the Salsa, which is more acrobatic and has engaging and disengaging complicated arm movements.

And it was displaced somewhat by Reggaeton another manufactured dance which was then split into several different factions. It came and went as a short fad dance for kids. And Bachata now is coming in strong, with Zouk and Zumba waiting in the wings. The under thirty crowd must have new dances and there will be many new fads coming along. The regular "social dancer" (over thirty) will standardize to have fun dancing to the classic favorites and socialize too for his/hers remaining 50 years of life. The Night Club dancing will return, we just have to accept. We are students in dance, always. Dance brings out the best of us and tells us where we can dance.

"I wondered why somebody didn't do something.
Then I realized, I am somebody."